Carparks are dangerous places - figures

While you may not risk your life in a carpark, it is the place your car is most likely to get damaged, according to figures from AA Insurance.

In a survey of 3708 drivers, 73 percent reported having had their car damaged while parked and over half had lost a car park to another driver despite clearly waiting for it, the company said.

Worse still, a surprising number of New Zealanders do not come clean after damaging another car.

The AA Insurance Drivers Index found that of those who had their car damaged while parked, a staggering 91 percent returned to find not a single contact detail from the person responsible - despite this being a legal obligation.

"Despite these high levels of non-compliance, it seems that Kiwis aren't even honest about their lack of honesty," said AA Insurance deputy general manager Martin Fox.

Nineteen percent of Aucklanders said they would think twice about leaving their details, compared to 16 percent of Wellingtonians and 13 percent of Christchurch residents.

Young drivers were also less likely to leave their details after damaging a car, with 28 percent of 18-24-year-old respondents admitting they would think twice about it, compared to only 16 percent of 35-54-year-olds.

"Drivers feeling frustrated or impatient are more likely to have accidents, so we urge motorists to take it easy and remember - it's only a parking space!" Mr Martin said.

On average, AA Insurance receives over 250 claims a month from customers who have had their car damaged while parked, with an average claim of $1480 each.

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kim   #1   12:31 am Nov 25 2009

I park well out of the way of other cars id rather walk a mile then risk parking in a busy car park.. never less sometimes it cant be helped and my poor car has suffered the normal car door dents ... which really bugs the heck out of me. to small to bother repairing but big enough that i notice them.. ruddy buggers

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